“It’s 100% a miracle. This is a very busy street. It’s always busy. But for whatever reason, when he crashed in this little area, all of the traffic was away.”
PHOENIX — A pilot and two passengers walked away with only minor injuries Sunday after a seaplane was forced to make an emergency landing in Phoenix.
The pilot, Mike Tragarz, successfully landed the plane on 7th Street without hitting any people, cars or buildings.
“I decided to literally look around and pick the best spot, and I couldn’t believe it looked like a landing strip,” Tragarz said. “Literally, there were no cars.”
The trio was taking a quick joyride around the Valley after taking off from Hangar Hacienda, a private runway in Laveen. Tragarz said they were cruising at about 2,500 feet when the engine gave out, and the aircraft lost power.
“I was about to call for a mayday to Sky Harbor to try to make it to Sky Harbor, and that’s when I noticed we were not holding altitude. We were descending. We had lost power,” Tragarz said.
The passengers and both pilots told 12News that Tragarz acted quickly to bring the plane down safely.
“At the last moment, he dipped his wing to not hit the street sign, which was amazing,” Hanan Haskell said.
The plane skidded to a stop on the roadway, only striking a water main and some landscaping.
“It’s 100% a miracle,” Phoenix Fire Captain DJ Lee said. “This is a very busy street. It’s always busy. But for whatever reason, when he crashed in this little area, all of the traffic was away.”
The landing left witnesses in awe.
“Whoever landed this thing was probably pretty skilled,” one woman said.
“He landed it so perfectly. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” another person said.
The passengers are most grateful for the pilot’s success.
“He saved our lives basically,” Haskell said. “Mike is our hero today.”
Tragarz, a retired airline pilot of more than 40 years, told 12News he credits his training.
“It could have ended much different,” Tragarz said. “I’m lucky, we’re all lucky.”
The aircraft is a 1946 Republic RC-3 Seabee. Tragarz estimates there are only about 300 still flying around the world.
The plane was towed back to its hangar. The NTSB will investigate to determine what caused the crash.
